Calories On Menus: Will It Work?

Woohoo! New York is at the forefront of public health again. Last time it was the banning of trans fats. And now, after much debate, the legislature there has mandated calorie counts be displayed on restaurant menus. Here’s the story on CNN.

Whether or not it does the trick to improve the overall health of the populace, I’m for it either way. My opinion is we deserve honest and accurate information. The rest is up to us. Take it or leave it. While I would not approve of yet another consensual crime being added to the books, like, say, possession of a hamburger, this measure seems perfectly logical. And, I don’t believe it’s a slippery slope.

So, what do you think? Will it work? Would you like to see this come to your neck of the woods?

Before you answer, you might want to check out the piece 60 Minutes did on the topic in November:

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7 Responses to “Calories On Menus: Will It Work?”

The people who left the comments that: they will eat what they want; no lawmaker will tell me how to eat; it won’t change my eating habits; etc. are right. Of course, they can do whatever they like. But, can I please have their addreses so I can take out life insurance policies on them. I might as well make a few bucks off their ignorance.

Your insurance angle reminds me of the lawsuit Walmart faced several years back when they took out life insurance on 350k of their employees. Corporations currently have incentive to lower their health care costs by promoting physical fitness, etc., but if Walmart’s practice had been allowed to continue, why would they want to offer healthy meals in their cafeteria? OK, that was a tangent.

I’m very excited to see progress being made for consumers. I wish my area (VA) would pass the same laws! Some would argue that weight control is a matter of ‘personal responsibility’. But how can we be expected to take personal responsibility if we aren’t given accurate nutritional information? It’s so hard to judge how many calories, how much fat, etc is in restaurant food. For this reason, I rarely eat at restaurants that don’t publish their nutrition information anymore.

I agree with Sara’s comment “Some would argue that weight control is a matter of ‘personal responsibility’. But how can we be expected to take personal responsibility if we aren’t given accurate nutritional information?” I also think they should list the ingredients as I am very sensitive to MSG, and artificial colors and flavors. I experience migraines. I believe we have every right to know what we are putting in our bodies so that we are better equipped to make an educated decision. Even for those who say that having this information available on restaurant menus would not effect their eating habits, at least they would become more educated by being exposed to this information on a regular basis. Perhaps over time, some of them may change their minds and decide to make different choices. Even if they do not, at least those of us who desire to know food ingredients before we decide what to eat would have the benefit of this information. (=^_^=)

Absolutely, Sarah and Rawmaste; it’s amazing how threatening the truth is to some. They equate making the info available to forcing their behavior. Not at all. Rather we just want to know what the hell’s in our food! Is that so much to ask?

Thanks, Sorina. Sorry you got delayed in the spam filter. It does that sometimes.

[...] Here on the blog, I and others, expressed that its efficacy in changing the diets of others was beside the point. Rather, it’s an issue of our right to information and the attendant decision-making empowerment it engenders. [...]